Editorial Comment

You are reading our annual energy issue which looks at promising advances that could change the way we live. It is fair to say that certain energy technologies, particularly in the renewable area, have large, vocal followings....More

This issue of Machine Design has a focus on energy, with a look at developments related to efficiency, storage, alternative fuels, and the like. Last year in a similar edition, we reported on some of the research funded by the Dept. of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E)....More

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology have developed a sensor that detects magnetic fields as weak as one picotesla (one-trillionth of a tesla). For comparison, the Earth’s magnetic field is 50 million times stronger than a picotesla....More

Prototypes of a new computer chip recently unveiled at the ACM International Conference on Computing Frontiers are 15 times more efficient than equivalent chips made using current production technology, promising major power reductions and extended battery life for portable devices....More

Scanning the Field

To improve the speed and control of rotary actuators used in laser scanning and other optical systems, engineers at Pangolin Laser Systems, Orlando, Fla., decided to take matters into their own hands and designed a new rotary actuator....More

Backtalk

Descendants of the “first families” of America’s aviation pioneers recently gathered to celebrate the monumental achievements of their fathers and grandfathers, as well as the tens of thousands of scientists, engineers, pilots, and production workers......More

FE Update

In the design of underwater cables and umbilicals for the offshore oil and gas and renewable industries, engineers must account for deepwater pressure, wind and wave forces, and the rough ocean bed over extended design lives of up to 25 years....More